One year ago today, I started my first long term remote working time. Previously, I had often worked remotely once or twice a week, often biking to a local coffee shop or the library to work. But on that Friday the 13th, I found myself in a different situation.
The Thursday before, I found that my son was sick with Influenza-B, so I had planned on working remote that Friday anyways. With all the talk about the Cornavirus making it to Wisconsin, my co-workers and I were making predictions of when the office would have people work remotely. So as I left that Thursday, I made sure to have everything I'd need to work remotely for a couple days of staying at home.
With all the bedrooms taken, I had to carve out a little space in my unfinished basement in order to have a defined workspace.
I had an old table, a dining room chair, and a second monitor to start off the remote life. Sadly, all the beer in the picture was expired.
That Friday, the email went out that contractors were to work remotely.
I was glad that I had grabbed what I needed, as I wasn't sure I'd be able to come back to the office anytime soon.
First thing I needed to do was to get an office chair in. Finding a full mesh one was a little bit difficult and I had to travel a bit outside my neighborhood to find one.
In addition, I picked up a bike trainer to make sure I got some exercise during my remote working time.
After a bit, I decided to make some more space for myself and moved out a bunch of shelves into the rest of the basement.
I put down some leftover carpet to make the space feel warmer. Getting a poster up and some of my kids work made it feel more like home.
In July, my company offered me a full time position, which I gladly accepted.
When I stopped by the office to sign paperwork, I grabbed the pair of monitors and laptop dock from my desk.
Two monitors is great, but three is optimal!
Additionally, I brought out a small, old bookcase, a file cabinet, and a printer to round out the office. Every office needs a printer.
With the space opened up, I decided to add some bookshelves.
This allowed me to make it feel more like a study, rather than a hole in the wall.
I'm still working on making it better, but at least now it feels like a place I can work in even after the pandemic.
